The Russellville Democrat., 1887-06-22


 shawl as contented as possible; and 1 girls could hardly believe they were the same animals. .sThey are perfect beauties !" said Daisy, s.real Maltese and white, with such bright eyes and cunning pink noses! They are better than St. Valentines Eve think That is because you have not an artis- tic soul. returned Myrtle, but she nevertheless danced for joy, and hunted up some pink and blue ribbons with l which to adorn the soft little balls of fur, and then invited the other girls in to see her .'Cupids," as she called them, when such peals of laughter is- sued from the room that Madam Vernon knocked at the door to inquire the cause of what appeared to her such '.unseem- ly mirth.
 .'Hilda, Hilda, sweetheart! see what the postman has left for theel" cried Fraulein Von Hillern, hurrying into the room where the sick girl lay list lessly lingering the first snow-drop that l had appeared in her window garden. '.It must be valentine for my sweet | oner' "A valentine! who would send me valentineln said Hilda bitterly, 1 but her fingers trembled eagerly as she l united the box, and drew out Rertha's "hearts and darts and true lover's knots" ''How pretty! it must be one of the dear girls who sent it!' while the good Fraulein turned aside to wipe her eyes and murmur: "iTis the first | smile 1 have seen on her white face for many long weekr'
 A tap at the door was followed by | the mistress of the boarding-house say ing: "A messenger boy left this for Miss Hilda, and bearing Daisy's roses, which filled the room with perfume. "How heavenly, heavenly sweet!" cried the sick girl, an unusual color coming into her cheeks, and burying her face 1 in the flowers. twill wonders never ceasen' gasped Fraulein, who was more l excited than her niece, and she really l thought so. when, as she left the house messenger with a basket of fruit, cool and delicious; the very thing for fe- yerish invalid. ..It seems as if I had too much for one day. said Hilda, as her aunt kissed her '.good-bye," for 1 the third time; ''but I am happy, so very happy, for I see am not forgot 1 ten. as I feared .'You begin to look l like mine old Hilda again" said Frau l lein joyfully, as she hastened of.
 So St. Valentine brought joy to the ugly room with the green curtains and brilliant carpet; and made Hilda quite forget the distasteful hangings, as she lay surrounded by her dainty sou venirs. But the climax was reached 1 when on the Fraulein's return from l Madam Vernon's, she found hung on l the knob of the door, rustic cage, in | which were curled up the gray and white kittens, labeled: Two little loves from St. Valentines Land. y Hilda fairly screamed with delight | when the bright eyes and pink noses popped over the edge of the basket, and received her pets with open arms, who proceeded at once to make themselves as fascinating as possible, by boxing l each others ears and chasing their own tails, in the most engaging manner "Whoever could have thought of such lovely, funny valentine?" cried Hilda, as she sank back weak with laughter. Il shall never be blue or lonely now with these tricksy elves to amuse me- While the happy aunt, remembering what the doctor had said sobbed, '.Gott in Himmel be thanked that the little diversion has come at last
 And so it proved, for the pranks and antics of those kittens would have pro- voked a smile from the sternest anchor ite; and from that 4th of February the girl began to improve. "It is an i'm position,n stormed the Herr Doctor, in mock rage, "those little cats do more goot than all my pills. and potions I will wiring their impudent necks." But the faxen-haired German lassie only laughed in his face, hugged her furry treasures tighter, and grew stronger and rosier every day The secret as to the real donors of the valentines soon leaked out, and it came to be quite the fashion with Madam Vernon's boarders to spend an afternoon every week with Hilda Won Hilern, and watch the capers of the "Cupids' who learned a variety of tricks, and became very ac- complished pussy-cats And when the May blossoms were in bloom. Hilda came back to school and was warmly 1 welcomed by her class.
 "I can never thank you good young ladies enough. sobbed Fraulein to the four friends" for without your valen- tines, the Herr Doctor says, my sweet heart would surely be a white angel now They rouse her and take her out of herself, especially the small lSit-cats. "There is French proverb,n said Madam Vernon, who stood by, "which says, the doctor amuses the patient while nature effects cure.n The little kittens have been Hilda's best physi- cians, by amusing her, and she un- doubtedly owes her recovery to nature and Myrtle Madron's Valentine. '"-- American Agricuiturtst.